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Purple Hand
}} Of the active Chaos cults, arguably none are as powerful or as entrenched as the Purple Hand. This vast and well-connected organisation has agents scattered throughout the Empire, from the inner circles of the various knightly orders, to the Templars of Sigmar, to even the ranking Priests in the Empire’s cults. They control merchants, nobles, artisans, and commoners alike. They create plans within plans, dealing in intrigues and corruption, spreading their taint to install individuals loyal to their mission in the highest places in the land. There is no accounting for the Purple Hand; they are everywhere. History The origin of the Purple Hand is unclear, shrouded in half-truths and lies. Some claim it emerged from Sartosan crime syndicates, evolving into its current form—a vast web of conspiracy with Tzeentch at the centre. Others theorise the cult has been active only in recent times, but the depth of their penetration into Imperial society seems to suggest otherwise. The most famous efforts of this cult centre on their attempt to murder Boris Todbringer and replace the Emperor, Karl Franz, with a puppet ruler (though some claim the cult attempted to replace Karl Franz’s son and only heir). The cult of Sigmar, as well as Palace authorities, have remained decidedly silent about this plot, but most realise the Purple Hand was very close to achieving their goals. More recently, the Purple Hand worked to locate Sigmar reborn, though ultimately their efforts were thwarted by Luthor Huss’s fortuitous discovery. In short, the Purple Hand makes no small endeavours; no, they care nothing for the small victory, instead being trained on the ultimate prize: controlling the Empire. Word has it that the Purple Hand has recently uncovered a stash of Warpstone beneath Middenheim in an abandoned Skaven warren. The agents hope to use the substance to contaminate the city’s water supply, transforming hundreds of citizens into Mutants. Organisation The Purple Hand has small branches all across the Empire and extends into Tilea and Estalia, though not, at least for now, Bretonnia. Despite its size, the Purple Hand is disorganised and fragmented, because it is subdivided into small, isolated cells, making communication between them difficult, if not impossible. The Purple Hand relies on secret couriers to communicate the wishes of the Cult Magus to the Acolytes controlling each cell, but too often these messengers get lost or are killed en route. As a result, the cells tend to act independently, often at odds with one another. The Purple Hand cells comprise of small groups of nine members in a particular city. Each city is home to three or more cells, all operating independently and ignorant of the other cells’ orders and movements. A cell reports to a Cult Acolyte who passes on orders from the Magi. To keep the flow of information moving, there are many Acolytes, usually one for each city. When he communicates with a cell, he always hides his identity in the off chance that the cell is compromised. Should this occur, another cell is ordered to destroy all of the survivors to ensure there are no leaks. Ordos Groups of cells are organised under the auspices of three governing Ordos. These are the Ordo Impedimentae, the Ordo Novitiae, and the Ordo Terribilis. The Ordo Impedimentae are tasked with securing funds and resources for the cult. Their members fulfil the roles of treasurer and quartermaster, and stand at the apex of a wider network involving burglary and racketeering. Whilst the Ordo Impedimentae operates like an organised criminal gang they must be exceedingly careful. Regular criminals benefit from a loose but mutually supportive code of conduct, but only the most depraved crime lord would consider extending such niceties to followers of Chaos. Criminals must be wary of alerting the town guard, but they don’t normally have to worry about the more meticulous investigations of witch hunters. The Ordo Novitiae are concerned with scouting for talent and recruiting new members. Whilst they do occasionally resort to blackmail or force, hard lessons have taught them to identify and recruit true believers, rather than attempt to coerce people into the worship of Tzeentch. The members of this Ordo have to be particularly ruthless and hard-nosed, as it falls to them to silence any cult novice who turns out to be a security risk. The Ordo Terribilis handle research and development for the cult. They instruct magically adept members of the cult in the rituals and spells of Tzeentch, consort with Daemons, and study forbidden lore. Given the limited pool of expertise available to the cult, the Ordo Terribilis in each major city focuses on a particular field. In Nuln they carry out a sociological experiment encouraging mutants to build communities within the confines of the city. In Middenheim they experiment on fusing the dark arts of the Daemonologist with those of the Necromancer. Each Ordo is headed by three Magistri, who tend to be accomplished in another useful field (such as wizards, scholars, or assassins) or who have worked their way into a position of authority outside of the cult (such as guild chairpersons or members of the aristocracy). Together the Magistri from the three Ordos form an Inner Circle of nine. Within the Inner Circle the individual heads of each of the Ordos form a governing council known as the Triumvirate. At the top of the hierarchy the Triumvirate elect one of their members to be the regional cult leader: Magister Magistri. The cult’s inner circle are usually ignorant of each other’s identities. They meet only twice a year on Hexenstag and Geheimisnacht, when Morrslieb waxes full. Donning cult robes and elaborate masks, they share their achievements and draw up plans for the next phase. On ending their business, they undertake forbidden rites, sing praises to Tzeentch and conclude with a human sacrifice. Symbol The Purple Hand uses a bloody handprint as their sign. They use it as a calling card, slicing their hand, clenching their fist, and slapping the bloody hand on a solid surface. In ceremonies, they wear dark purple robes as a sign of their wealth and power, with the symbol of Tzeentch hanging about their necks on a gold chain. Motives and Goals The Purple Hand’s primary goal is to overthrow the Empire’s government and replace the Emperor with a puppet utterly loyal to their agenda. Once installed, the Purple Hand would be free to dismantle the Empire, one province at a time. Manipulation is the hallmark of the Purple Hand. Through bribes, extortion, and murder, they manoeuvre themselves into positions of power, both secular and religious. (There’s evidence that the Purple Hand has infiltrated both the cult of Sigmar and Ulric and that they work to keep these groups at each other’s throats.) Once installed, the cultists concentrate power into their hands, eliminating rivals and suspicious individuals. There’s no telling the extent of the Purple Hand’s influence, but it’s known they were very active years ago in Middenheim, infiltrating the government up to the highest levels. In recent days, there’s word that they’ve resurfaced once more. In order to fuel dissent in the Empire, the Purple Hand supports various heresies, such as the Sigmarian Heresy that denies that Sigmar ascended to godhood. Recruiting The Purple Hand is very careful in the recruitment process, screening all candidates before allowing them into the inner circle. In addition, the Purple Hand controls unaffiliated agents through blackmail and extortion, setting up circumstances to benefit the cult and further its goals. Should the agent prove loyal and capable, the cell may invite the individual to join, but not always. In many cases, the individual is simply killed, lest the overzealous agent risk exposing his contacts. Ceremonies Once a month, a cell gathers in secret to invoke the power of Tzeentch. The Cult Acolyte leads the congregation in a series of sharp phrases, and when complete, he slices open his hand with a ceremonial knife. He drains the blood into a bowl while he instructs the members about the newest plot, and the glory awaiting them when they overthrow the Empire. At the end of the rite, each member comes forward to drink from the bowl while the rest chant the names of Tzeentch in the tongue of Daemons. Sources * : Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd ED -- Tome of Corruption ** : pg. 77 ** : pg. 78 * : Warhammer Fantasy RPG 4nd ED -- Enemy in Shadow ** : pg. 4 * : Warhammer Fantasy RPG 4nd ED -- Enemy in Shadow Companion ** : pg. 80 Category:P Category:H Category:Chaos Cults Category:Tzeentch